Fact Check: Viral Video Falsely Portrays Adhir Chowdhury’s Speech as Support for BJP in Bengal

GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 3rd May. Claim: A viral video clip alleges that Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, a leader of the Indian National Congress, urged people to vote for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the ongoing 2024 Indian general election, favoring it over the Trinamool Congress (TMC), West Bengal’s ruling party.

Verdict: Misleading

Evidence:

1. The viral video clip was extracted from a longer speech delivered by Adhir Chowdhury during a rally in Lalgola of Jangipur, West Bengal, in support of Congress-left candidate Murtaza Hossain, also known as Bokul.

2. In the extended version of the speech, Chowdhury explicitly stated, “It’s better to vote for the BJP than the TMC. It’s much better to vote for the BJP than the TMC. So, not TMC, not BJP, vote for Bokul.”

3. He did not endorse the BJP anywhere in his speech. Instead, he advised people against voting for either the BJP or the TMC, emphasizing support for the Congress-left candidate Bokul.

4. The West Bengal Congress issued a clarification stating that the viral video was edited and shared out of context. They lodged an official complaint to the Election Commission of India regarding the manipulated video.

5. Chowdhury has consistently maintained during his election campaigns that Trinamool and BJP are synonymous, suggesting that voting for Trinamool indirectly supports BJP due to their alleged secret understanding.

Conclusion: The claim that Adhir Chowdhury urged people to “vote for BJP” in Bengal is misleading. The viral video clip was selectively edited, distorting the context of Chowdhury’s speech, where he advised against voting for either the BJP or the TMC and advocated support for the Congress-left candidate.